Town of Ponoka

Summary of the FOIP Act

• You have the right to request access to records held by the Town of Ponoka, subject to limited and specific exceptions.
• You have the right to access information that the Town has about you.
• You have the right to request the Town to correct personal information it has about you.
• The Act controls the way in which the Town may collect personal information from you, controls the use that the Town may make of your personal information and controls how the Town can disclose information about you.
• You have the right to request independent review of any issue related to FOIP by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Information is often made routinely available through official publications and websites, or over the phone. Public bodies have policies that allow staff to provide certain categories of information on request so you often do not need to use the process provided under the FOIP Act to obtain access to the vast majority of information held by public bodies in Alberta.

Before making a FOIP request, it may be helpful to contact the public body concerned for advice on the most appropriate method of obtaining access to the information you need. If other methods do not satisfy your needs, a formal request for access to information under the FOIP Act ("a FOIP request") may be the best way to proceed.

The Government of Alberta’s FOIP/PIPA Help Desk provides general guidance with regards to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act) or the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

The FOIP/PIPA Help Desk does not provide any of the following services:

• Legal advice or interpretation of the FOIP Act or PIPA, including providing advice on any actions that individuals or businesses should take regarding access and privacy concerns. Consult your legal council for advice or interpretation.
• General guidance, advice, or interpretation of the Health Information Act.
• Status updates for any existing FOIP or PIPA requests. Follow-up directly with the public body or private sector organization where you submitted your request.
• Investigations into privacy breaches. Refer to File a complaint or report a privacy breach for more information.
• Acceptance or processing of FOIP or PIPA access to information requests.

Accessing Information Under the FOIP Act

If you would like to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, you may complete the Access to Information Form  and return it by mail or fax to the address below. If you are making a request for general information, there is an initial fee of $25. Additional fees may be charged for processing costs in excess of $150. There is no fee for a request for personal information unless the cost of producing copies exceeds $10.

If you are not sure if your request falls under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, please do not hesitate to email the FOIP Coordinator.

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